[ The funny thing is, that despite all his posturing and puffing and getting offended for trifles, all he wants is for someone to look at him and talk to him. He's fickle, and it's often hard to gauge what sort of compliments he bristles and gets shy about, but this one hits the mark. 'You're good' is basically the greatest compliment he can be given, like a stray cat that waits until the last possible moment for someone to pet it between its ears.

En actually beams at this. ]

—Yeah? Not bad, right? [ he hasn't hurt anyone too recently, right? This is an accomplishment, for him. The designation is a reward. ] Got better, right?

[ The fireflies around him start flitting a bit faster, almost as if they're feeding off his energy. ]

Took a long time! Figured it out, though. Humans wear a lot of things. But piercings stick around! Not like clothes. [ he's chattering now, talkative. ] The first few were too weak. But this one did it right. No one's thrown up. Cool, huh!

[ oh my god en shut up ]